While the courts have ruled otherwise, the Trump administration is standing firm on its decision to deport a Maryland man accused of gang ties—going as far as comparing him to Osama Bin Laden.
A Heated Defense on National Television
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, didn’t hold back during her appearance on Fox News.
When questioned about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador, she fiercely defended the move.
McLaughlin brushed off the portrayal of him as a “Maryland father,” insisting he’s an illegal immigrant with gang connections.
“I think this illegal alien is exactly where he belongs—home in El Salvador,” she said.
Then came a shocking comparison: “Osama bin Laden was also a father.
And yet, he wasn’t a good guy. They actually are both terrorists.”
Accusations vs. Family Reality
Garcia, who was deported last month to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, has been accused by officials of belonging to the violent MS-13 gang.
However, his lawyers say that couldn’t be further from the truth.
They argue Garcia has no criminal record, no gang ties, and has lived peacefully in Maryland for the past decade with his wife and three kids.
He originally entered the U.S. illegally in 2019, but a court later issued a withholding order—essentially protecting him from being deported due to potential danger in his home country.
Trump’s Oval Office Confrontation Gets Heated
During a sit-down at the White House with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins pressed Trump about the situation.
But before she could get too far, she was shut down—hard—by both Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The case has clearly touched a nerve. It’s quickly become a high-profile example of how far the administration is willing to go to tighten immigration policies, even when the courts push back.
Supreme Court Weighs In, but Trump Team Pushes Ahead
Just last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that the government should bring Garcia back to the U.S.
The directive used the word “effectuate,” which the Trump administration argues is too vague to enforce—suggesting they have no intention of following through.
In a court filing on Monday, a Homeland Security official stated that the agency has no power to “forcibly extract an alien from the domestic custody of a foreign sovereign nation.”
El Salvador Says It’s Not Their Job Either
During the Oval Office meeting, Bukele pushed back on the idea that his government should return Garcia.
“The question is preposterous,” he said. “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don’t have the power to return him.”
Pam Bondi backed up that sentiment, saying if El Salvador wanted to return him, the U.S. would simply “provide a plane”—but ultimately, the decision rests with the Salvadoran government.
A Bigger Immigration Crackdown in Play
Garcia is just one of hundreds of individuals who have been deported under the Trump administration’s tough immigration stance.
Many of them were sent to El Salvador, where the U.S. has reportedly provided around $6 million to help house deportees at the CECOT mega-prison.
Despite the controversy, the U.S. State Department recently lifted its travel advisory for El Salvador to the lowest level of concern, praising President Bukele’s crackdown on gang violence.
Lawyers and Families Continue to Fight Back
Back in Maryland, Garcia’s family and legal team are still fighting.
They claim he never got a fair shot to argue his case, and that the allegations of gang ties are unfounded.
For now, though, he remains locked inside a high-security Salvadoran prison, with no clear path back.